Eng135 Research Paper

Michael Miller Jr.

Engl135-Adv.Comp

Prof. Ramney

Research Paper, rough draft

2/9/12

The Ugly Side of Fat America

It is as clear as the writing on the wall when I say we are “fat”, and not just any ole kind of fat either. We, as Americans, absolutely adore processed foods, and unfortunately for us, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The mindset we have created for ourselves has made us lazy, overweight, and very unhealthy. Everybody suffers, from the adults, to the children, to the pets, (yes, pets!) there is a real problem, yet I must say that for every problem, there is indeed a solution.

Every American, in one form or another, will consume some form of processed foods within their bodies. There is no escaping this, and foreigners will tell you the same thing. When you come to this country, you are going to eat SOME processed food during your time here.

Now, the very first question that should come to the readers mind is “what is processed food?” Well, the answer is simple. Processed food is “any food changed from its natural or raw state” (Thorn Eric, How do you define "processed food". N.p., 2009. Web. 9 Feb 2012. <http://health.amuchbetterway.com/how-do-you-define-processed-food/>.) Now, the problem with processed food is that we, as Americans, consume more than what our body deems healthy for itself, daily. Indeed there is a problem.

The first problem with processed food is that it contains many by-products. “Take a look at the list of ingredients from the strawberry flavoring of a milkshake served at a zip-through restaurant:

Amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric” (gates)

The crazy thing about it is that those items that were listed were not even a QUARTER of how long the list actually was. The truth is, a majority of what we eat has by-products (animal by-products for example) in it, unless it says otherwise. These by-products can cause cancer, high...